The long term goal of this proposal is to develop a commercially viable DNA-based platform technology for the induction of the immune response in cancer immunotherapy. Our approach is based on presentation of endogenous antigenic peptides to the immune system by secreted stress proteins. We propose two specific aims. The first is to engineer over-expression of specific proteins in tumor cells to demonstrate displacement and induced secretion of stress proteins bearing antigenic peptides from the endoplasmic reticulum. The second aim is to demonstrate measurable tumor regression in animals that have been induced for enhanced secretion of endogenous peptides bound to stress proteins. This approach uses DNA technology which circumvents the need to isolate individual tumor-derived stress protein-antigenic peptide complexes for subsequent use as an immunogen. Furthermore, it could potentially yield a single, versatile therapeutic preparation which could be used in the early stages of disease without prior knowledge of the tumor. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The experiments that form the basis of this proposal should illustrate the potential of our approach to serve as a platform technology for the development of a commercially viable therapy against tumors.